India’s government has approved the signing of an agreement to institutionalise a mechanism for cooperation between India and Japan in sending and accepting skilled Indian workers, who have qualified the skill and Japanese language test, reports The Hindu.  The memorandum of cooperation on a basic framework for partnership pertaining to "Specified Skilled Worker" between India and Japan was cleared at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It aims to enhance people-to-people contacts, foster mobility of workers and skilled professionals. A joint working group will be set up under the memorandum of cooperation to follow up its implementation. Skilled Indian workers from fourteen sectors would have enhanced job opportunities to work in Japan.

"The present Memorandum of Cooperation would set an institutional mechanism for partnership and cooperation between India and Japan on sending and accepting skilled Indian workers, who have qualified the required skill and Japanese language test, to work in fourteen specified sectors in Japan. These Indian workers would be granted a new status of residence of 'Specified Skilled Worker' by the Government of Japan," an official statement said.